Surviving the Swamp Part One Day One: Feeling Mucky?
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Swampl ands Let the Games Begin…Tribal Survival: We’ve made it through rainforests and deserts, but will we survive the swamp? Have students continue to work together as tribes. Throughout the units, tribes will compete in fun, non- competitive activities that will challenge their intellectual, cooperative, and athletic skills. Remind them that everything they do matters to the tribe and helps us survive (or not…) Surviving the Swamp Part One Day One: Feeling Mucky? Access prior knowledge by having students watch the clip from BBC’s Planet Earth: Swamplands https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49cQ747WT0U One of Earth’s best kept secrets is unveiled through captivating footage. Narration by the Horrocks'. Option: Also, show students the following gallery: The10 Most Beautiful Swamps on Earth, http://scribol.com/environment/10-most-beautiful- swamps-on-earth Okefenokee Swamp They are mighty ecosystems that rarely get a mention, Okefenokee is a Native American word some of them bigger than small countries. The most that means "trembling earth." At the massive wetlands on the planet are vital to the health of Okefenokee Swamp in the U.S. states of the natural world. Georgia and Florida, the land is so soggy http://www.monicaminto.com/2012/03/26/illustration Rights Reserved. Minto All Illustrations Monica Image Credit: When you think swamp you imagine a misty, murky that the trees do not have a stable hold place in which the sponge-like ground beneath your feet in the ground and shake, or tremble, seems to suck relentlessly at your shoes. The bog wants when people trod heavily nearby. to swallow you whole, and if that weren’t scary enough the wildlife in many swamps can seem much worse. The mighty constricting snake, the Anaconda – 25ft long and wide as a man – or the tiny frogs that each hold enough toxin in their skins to kill 1500 people. The Everglades and Okefenokee - Swamp of Florida, friday the swamplands in - topic - 1 swamp/ the Gulf Coast, the Sudd in Africa and the Vasyugan Swamp in western Siberia, all places where you don’t want to find yourself stuck without some knowledge and training. A swamp is a large area of flooding containing shallow bodies of water and dry-land protrusions. In the U.S. swamps are usually littered with a large amount of woody vegetation. The makeup of swamps makes them the perfect location for a number of animals including the highly dangerous alligator. A swamp is an area of land permanently saturated, or filled, with water. Many swamps are even covered by water. There are two main types of swamps: freshwater swamps and saltwater swamps (Because the young of many marine animals find food and shelter in saltwater swamps, these wetlands are sometimes called the nurseries of the ocean.) Most swamps are relatively small, but there are a few whose size will take your breath away. The biggest on the planet is the Vasyugan swamp in Russia. 20% wider than the whole of Switzerland and 53,000 square kilometres in total area. Within the bounds of the swamp there are more than 800 lakes, and many rivers and streams begin here. Of course the USA has its own huge swamps, but by far the largest is the Okefenokee. Covering 700 square miles of South Georgia and North Florida, lies a huge bowl-shaped depression in which the Okefenokee Swamp developed. About 25 miles across and 40 miles long, this is a unique 1,000 sq mile area of primitive wetland, hosting hundreds of species of wildlife, many of which are endangered or threatened. Plant life in the Okefenokee varies from towering bald cypress to a seemingly infinite variety of water plants, many of which were put to medicinal use by the Indian inhabitants long before the first Europeans arrived in the area. Early settlers learned from their Indian hosts the value of natural life and balance with nature. Many swamps, not just the Okefenokee, are dominated by trees. They are often named for the type of trees that grow in them, such as cypress swamps or hardwood swamps. Freshwater swamps are commonly found inland, while saltwater swamps are usually found along coastal areas. Swamps are transition areas. They are neither totally land nor totally water. Most people seem to think them filthy places filled with mosquitoes, snakes and spiders, but swamps not only protect the land from soil erosion and the effects of storms, they also act as a form of pollution control, naturally filtering out industrial and human waste. Like other wetlands, they are important components of the water cycle, absorbing excess water flow during times of flooding. Swamps exist in many kinds of climates and on every continent except Antarctica. They vary in size from isolated prairie potholes to huge coastal salt marshes. Some swamps are flooded woodlands. Some are former lakes or ponds overtaken by trees and shrubs.’ 2 Tips: Avoiding Jungle Rot Jungle rot is a fungal skin infection that results from constant moisture. To avoid this remember to take off your shoes, socks and wet clothes and allow your skin to dry out every few hours. Wet and Wild! More than half of the world’s known insects and invertebrates reside in some sort of wetland. What is it all about? A wetland is any place where the land is soaked with water for long enough that it create its own ecosystem. Wetland ecosystems are filled with numerous different types of plants and animals. Wetlands provide food, shelter, breeding and resting places for a large number of plants, mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrates. Each wetland is a carefully balanced ecosystem in which living creatures live off each other. There are many types of wetlands, and they include marshes, bogs, swamps, ponds and fens. Water saturation, permanence, and the different types of plants and animal communities they support characterize each type of wetland. Wetlands are just one piece in the watershed puzzle. Wetlands act as a buffer zone between land areas and open aquatic areas like lakes and rivers. Wetlands act as a filtration system for lakes and rivers. When it snows or rains the water runs off the land and towards open bodies of water and the wetland filters this water by removing some of the minerals, sediments and polluting substances. Did you know that wetlands are often referred to as the kidneys of the land because as water trickles through a wetland sediments and pollutants are filtered out and settles on the bottom? Just like your kidneys! The water that stays in a wetland is often cleaner than the water that flows into it! What does it mean? Water saturation - amount of water in a given space Watershed - the area of land that catches snow and rain and then drains into a body of water Sediments - includes minerals, small pieces of plants and other organic matter Wetland in a Pan Source: http://www.miseagrant.umich.edu/lessons/lessons/by-broad-concept/earth- science/wetlands/activity-wetland-in-a-pan/ or http://www.epa.gov/gmpo/education/pdfs/Activity- WetlandPan.pdf Adapted from “A Wetland in a Pan: from WOW! The Wonder of Wetlands, for the Great Lakes Education Program. All rights reserved. Through this activity students observe a simple wetland/swamp model that demonstrates wetland/swamp functions. The first part of the procedure demonstrates how wetlands/swamps prevent flooding and soil erosion. The second part of the procedure demonstrates how wetlands improve water quality by filtering sediments and pollutants. 3 You Need: • Modeling clay • Rolling paint pan (or small aluminum pan) • Sponges • Scraps of old carpet or florist oasis foam (or sponges) • Watering can or similar device • Cup of soil • Jar of muddy water Build a Model Wetland The first part of the procedure demonstrates how wetlands prevent flooding and soil erosion. • Explain that wetlands, like all habitats, are complicated natural systems. They perform some very important functions such as filtering pollutants, reducing flood damage, and preventing soil erosion. Some wetlands, at times, recharge groundwater supplies. • Explain that you will make a wetland model to demonstrate some of these functions in a very simplified way. • Put the clay along one side of the pan. Fit the piece of carpeting or sponge into the wetland area along the edge of the clay. Slowly sprinkle some rain on land (the clay) and let the students observe and describe what is happening. Ask: If I make it rain on the model, what do you think will happen to the rainwater? (Rain will flow downhill.) The wetland (carpeting) will slow the rate of flow, and the excess rain will slowly enter the body of water. Point out that the wetland absorbed some of the water—pick up the wetland and squeeze some water out to prove it. • Ask students: What do you think will happen if the wetland/swamp is removed? o Answer: The water will not be absorbed; it will flow more quickly into the body of water. • Remove the carpeting and water. • Pour the same amount of water on the model at the same spot and rate as before. • Have the students note any differences. The water should fill the body of water much more quickly and may eventually overflow and flood the land. That’s because it is no longer retained by the wetland. Discuss the Results • Explain that most wetlands are shallow basins that collect water and slow its rate of flow and also retain water for a time. This slowing process helps reduce flooding and also helps prevent soil erosion. 4 • Ask students: If a wetland is destroyed, and houses are built in its place, what might happen to the houses during a severe rainstorm? Why? o Answer: They might be flooded because the wetland will not be there to absorb and slow the rush of water from higher ground.